Missing In Action
by CrazedChakra101
Summary: Becoming one with his inner demon was, unwittingly and unknowingly, the best thing that had ever happened to him. Naruto/Avatar: ATLA Crossover.
1. At the End of the Rainbow

Chapter 1.) At the End of the Rainbow...

D/C: Let me put it in simple English. Me no own Avatar, and me don't own Naruto. Can't get simpler than that.

The breathtaking beauty of the cascading white waterfalls on the outskirts of Konoha were completely lost on Uzumaki Naruto, whose sole being lay focused on the black abyss rushing up to greet him as he plummeted headlong into its depths, cursing the hell out of his teacher's name.

"Curse you, you crazy perverted bastard!" The boy defiantly screamed.

Yes, it was official; years of research had finally scrambled the Toad Sannin's brains. When Jiraiya had said his training was going to end today, Naruto had felt nothing but elated; then his sensei went and pulled a stunt like this. One moment, he'd been climbing to his feet, utterly spent from hours and hours of nonstop training. The very next the loony jackass had sent him hurtling over the canyon ledge with one measly little finger flick to the head. Ero-sennin was going to pay, the boy resolved. Insanity plea or not, it seemed the old toad's latest batch research was destined to have an unfortunate meeting with the paper shredder in Ojiji's office.

Once he got out of this predicament, of course. Which would be soon, very soon. Just as soon as he figured out how...

If only inspiration was so forthcoming. His mind was in complete disarray, a hundred fearful thoughts running a mile a minute in his head. Naruto couldn't speak, couldn't think, could hardly even breath with the endless expanse of oblivion stretching far below like a giant's maw waiting for him.

"Kuso! This is nuts!" Swore the angry blond to himself. "Is that ero-baka trying to kill me?! Well, there's no way in hell I'm going to die out here!"

With agility born of desperation, Naruto twisted his limbs and body around in order to orient himself in the direction of the rocky canyon wall. As he did so he called forth the last bit of chakra in his system and directed it to his hands and feet, praying to catch a handhold on the stony surface. His fingers no sooner gained purchase on a solid outcropping when his tenuous grip gave out on the dew covered stones, causing him to slip and spiral once again in an uncontrolled descent. Time and time again he came perilously close to impaling himself on jutting rocks on the way down. Only quick reflexes on the boy's part kept him from meeting his untimely end.

He was still getting cuts, however, as his body glanced off of the deep ravine walls.

"Ugh! It's slimy and wet," He cursed as his fingers scrabbled for a hold on the algae covered stones. "Can't get a grip on these damn things! What the hell is Ero-sennin expecting me to do?!"

What indeed? Naruto had no idea how long he'd been falling, maybe a minute, maybe two, maybe it was only thirty seconds flat; but whatever the case might be, the blond knew he was running out of time and running out of options fast. His eyes roved desperately over the landscape for a patch of dry rock; an overhanging branch of a canyon tree; anything he could imagine to arrest the momentum of his fall. It was increasingly difficult to keep his wits about him as his gaze inevitably fell upon the endless void of the black abyss, which was beginning to look more and more like his final resting place.

"At least the villagers won't be able to touch my grave down here. Hey, hey, hey, what am I thinking?! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! I'm not giving up just yet! There's got to be another way, or I'll..."

The boy refused to voice out that thought out loud for fear of jinxing his less than ideal situation, but the words continued to reverberate ominously in his head.

Die...He was going to die...

Long before that event could happen, however, the world as he knew it slowed and faded to black.

Nothing seemed to exist here, wherever here was. There was no light, no sound, no air, just nothing. It was like the very existence of the world had vanished, had ceased to exist, leaving him in a void of emptiness. But even in the absence of everything, his senses felt heightened somehow. Here there was nothingness, yet he was able to sense, no, he was able to feel something beyond the void. Like a burning flame in the middle of an otherwise freezing room...

"I wonder...Where is this? There's no way I could have died... Could I?"

His voice echoed distantly as if he were currently standing in a cavernous room. His feet, he idly noticed, stood on solid ground.

Or at least it had the feeling of solid ground. The sensation felt slightly off to him. It was admittedly a new experience for the curious blond, to be able to feel everything yet be unable to see it.

Faintly, very faintly, he felt a warm breeze blowing up ahead. There were walls to his right and left, and pipes hanging overhead. His vision was coming back to him little by little, and through his limited vision he was able to make out the outline of a long empty corridor. Despite the fact that he couldn't see very well Naruto pressed heedlessly onward, more inquisitive than afraid of what may lay beyond. Before long his footsteps led him straight into an antechamber, and there he realized that there was something very wrong. Not with his eyes, but with his surroundings. Everything he had seen thus far had been shrouded in murky blacks and reds, and the reason for all the smoky distortions seemed to have been emanating from the ominous rust colored cage entrenched at the back of the chamber. A rather insignificant looking seal note plastered over the lock was the only thing keeping the gigantic gate like bars closed.

Naruto couldn't have been more glad for that considering the huge toothy smile that seemed to greet him from within the confines of the cage. A pair of slitted bloodshot eyes followed as the thing crouched closer to the bars, its oppressive shadow looming tall over him. In spite of the knowledge of being safe, the boy couldn't resist a shudder under its unblinking and impenetrable gaze.

"Uwa!" He backpedaled unsteadily, falling to his knees.

The thing laying behind the cage seemed pleased by his reaction, as it began to chuckle darkly in an amused black tone. Its laughter started low, rising slowly in crescendo, and before long its earsplitting roar echoed and reechoed until the cage bars surrounding it were set ringing. Just as suddenly as its merriment began, the giant beast stopped. Even as it spoke that predatory leer never once left its dark shadowy face.

"Hey, kit...Don't be afraid. I'm only your worst nightmare."

"You...," Naruto whispered, staring at the massive canines under the pair of demonic blood red eyes.

"Me. You know, there's no need to bow before me, kit. Not that the gesture isn't appreciated," The Kyuubi no Youkou smirked with its harsh and grating voice. "Good to know you flesh bags haven't forgotten to bow down to your superiors! Least we don't have to worry about starting off on the wrong foot. Keep this up and you might just have the honor of being my pet."

"Where are we...?" The blond inquired, ignoring the Nine Tail's condescending tone.

"It's your world, inside your head." The fox glanced lazily around. "Kind of empty in here, isn't it?"

"A whole lot of good brains did you to get yourself stuck in that cage!"

Kyuubi sneered with an almost pleasant sounding laugh.

"Oh, so the kit has fangs, eh? But why should I be so surprised? You always proved you had more guts than brains. Like now, insulting me - the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Bane of Konoha, and Lord of all the Tailed Beasts - right in front of my face. Course, I'm locked behind this seal, so maybe that fact alone gives you strength. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't; I could be wrong. It just astounds me how fanatically you cling to your disgusting little dreams."

"..."

"I daresay it's amusing, you know, to watch the soap opera of your life through your beady little eyes. No offense intended; it's a travesty, but it's all a comedy act from my point of view. Don't get mad, it's the truth! But you know, things would actually be a lot more interesting if you actually showed a little more backbone..."

"What are you getting at, Fuzzball?" The boy impatiently said.

The fearsome Nine Tails didn't explode like he expected. Instead, it shot him a surprisingly flat look.

"See? There's your problem, kit. Always shooting off on the wrong people, always getting your timing wrong! You never aim it at the ones who deserve it! Like that pink haired harpy who's always clobbering your ass around. Hitting isn't a good sign in a relationship, you know..."

Kyuubi grinned demonically as Naruto's ocean blue eyes began to twitch.

"Oops, did I strike a nerve? Wait, you're still not together yet! She's still in denial over her crush over you, and not 'Sasuke-kun,' and loves you so much she can barely even stand to contain herself in your presence! That explains it! You heard what they say; you only hurt the ones you love! Hmm, with that in mind, does that mean this wretched village actually loves you?"

A flicker of conceit passed over the demon's face as his expressionless jailor summoned a Rasengan in the palm of his hand in no time flat. Of course, this being the boy's mind anything he could imagine was entirely possible, but considering the fact that Jiraiya was still teaching him the necessary steps to that move told the Kyuubi a lot about his container's progress.

"Calm down, calm down. Simmer down, kit, I'm just messing with you. I'm only calling things as I see it. Besides, that little thing in your hands couldn't even touch this seal, much as I'd like it to."

Naruto dispelled the blue chakra orb with a roll of his eyes, "And you wonder why people don't like you..."

"Life wouldn't be so interesting for a little pest like you if it wasn't for me," It arrogantly proclaimed. "Of course," It continued, ignoring the boy's accusing glare, "My existence wouldn't been so messed if it wasn't for that two faced bastard of a man!"

"Don't talk about the Yondaime that way!" Shouted the blond. The fox's sneer abruptly blanked out in that instant.

"What? Oh right," The Nine Tails frowned pensively and distractedly. "I almost forgot. Him too."

Kyuubi quit brooding in silence once he noticed his container's curiously confused look.

"It doesn't matter," The demon dismissed with a lazy wave of its fluttering tails. "Not like you mortals would believe me even if I tried. Maybe I'll tell you about it some other time, but for now let's just get back to business." The Fox Lord's drooling black lips split once more into a grin. "I think we can help each other here."

Predictably enough, his container's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Last I saw from the story of your life, your worthless sensei threw you like a sack of garbage down this miserable little gorge. You're tired, you're running out of options, and you're heading nowhere fast. Nowhere except down, of course, but we wouldn't want that. What you need is my power..."

"...But you want something back in return," The blond slowly said.

"Ah, but a trade is only fair," The snickering kitsune said. "Like I've said before, you're life would be so much more interesting if only you showed the world that you have a little spine. You are so afraid to offend people, whereas I am not..."

"Hell no," The boy shot the Kyuubi's proposal down in flames. "Do you actually think I'm that stupid?!"

"...One could only dream," The great beast muttered aside under its hot fetid breath.

"You'll never achieve your evil ends with my body! Never!"

"Give it a rest, I don't have any further interest in destroying your village," It casually drawled, examining its nails. "Wasn't even myself that day, to tell you the truth, but you're not going to believe me and it's not like I care. Do you know what's the funny thing about seeing through your eyes, kit? You might find it strange, but I can't feel anything."

The blond cocked his head to one side, clearly not understanding.

"Every action you take, every failure or a victory under your belt is a spectacle for me to see," The Fox explained slowly but imperiously as if he were a particularly slow child. "As much as your life amuses me, however, I get no feeling, no satisfaction, no sense of oomph from seeing it all. Seeing is certainly believing, but I cannot feel your triumphs, your frustrations, your anger, or your joys. Really, its pathetic; to live vicariously through you, and yet be unable to savor the sensations of life for myself. Like being locked in a room with only a Television set to pass the time, year after year after year. What I ask for lending you my considerable power is just a little bit of that time. Maybe a few hours when you don't need it. I'll even give you my word not to cause any trouble, to not interfere when you don't want me to."

Naruto turned his back with a scoff.

"Quit jerking my chain, you know I'm not going to believe that. Only a moron would trust your word. Besides, you're going to have to help me either way. If I die you die; it's as simple as that."

"So stubborn," The Demon Lord sighed, shaking its mighty head. "Well then, so be it..."

Darkness filled the boy's surroundings just as swiftly as it had before, and with it went all awareness of the room. Weightlessness consumed his being, and suddenly he was falling into the abyss once again. It wasn't black any more; he could just barely make out the rocky bottom of a fast flowing torrent down below. The water unfortunately didn't look so deep...

"KYUUBI!" He screamed.

'_Ungrateful brat_,' The Nine Tails groused as he played a game of Solitaire with his tails. '_Demands my power without giving something in return. Humph, it's because of me he's survived this long on this world_..._Although it kind of is my fault that his lot in life ended up like this. Wait, what the hell am I thinking_?!' The Kyuubi growled, '_I'm the one whose the victim here_!'

"AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"

'_Well it's not like he's going to die while I'm still around, but I suppose there's no sense taking unnecessary risks_. _Sigh_. _You are one ballsy mortal, kit, I'll give you that_. _Just for impressing me I'll_ _give you_ _this much for free, so make it good_.'

Power unexpectedly flared from the boy's belly like a fireball beneath his skin. He had felt this distinct sensation only once before, but he already knew what this irresistible euphoric rush meant.

'_Let's what the kit can do_...' The Fox watched the boy's flying hands with interest.

"Kuchiyose no-"

That was as far as Naruto got before starbursts exploded in his vision.

SPLASH! THUNK!

The demon fox's leering smile slipped when his container slammed face first into the drink and took a mouthful of sediment and stone. Consciousness mercifully fled the boy as he bounced off the rocky bottom of the raging river and floated up to the water's surface, oblivious to the painful fact that his body had literally become one huge patch of black and blue. Kyuubi winced, thankful that he couldn't feel _this_ pain. Apparently, water could not soften the blow of a nearly five hundred foot fall.

'..._Well, that was anticlimactic_,' The Nine Tails mused as Naruto's limpid form drifted in circles down the stream. '_Kit, you still with me_?'

"Ugh..." Came the listless reply.

'_Good enough for me. Meat sacks are so fragile_,' The demon lamented into the emptiness of the blond's head. '_One little fall and they end up like this. You're going to owe me later, brat_.'

Red chakra began to seep from the seal in Naruto's belly, spreading out in a hazy halo that wrapped around his battered form like a cloak of sentient flames. Plumes of smoke arose as dozens of cuts closed instantaneously with a hiss of knitting skin. The single dark bruise that encompassed the boy's body gradually receded in pinpricks and spots. Broken bones snapped into realignment as shoulder joints popped back into place. Kyuubi was just pausing to gloat over its handiwork when it finally noticed the tumultuous state of the roiling waters that its jailor was in. Watching with creeping feeling of dread through Naruto's half lidded eyes, he caught sight of a spectacular rainbow only twenty feet ahead. Rainbows hanging at the foot of the rapids only meant one thing.

'_**Kit, snap out it, there's a waterfall up ahead, and this one looks like a doozy! Kit? KIT**_!'

Blue eyes flecked with hints of black and red widened as the demon lord stared down, down, down, the precipitous drop. Two words came to the fore of the fox's mind as the boy's body toppled straight down the abyss like a log.

"_Oh, shit_."

A/N: Seriously, what sort of fucking moron throws a 12 year old off a cliff?! I know I shouldn't rag about this, and I know that Jiraiya was just trying to teach Naruto to summon the Kyuubi's chakra, but to what end? Naruto, as far as I can tell from reading the manga, still can't control/summon that self same chakra at will! Gaara was sort of able to do it; Yugito was able to do it; Killer Bee was able to do it; hell, all the Jinchiruku we know can do it, so if Ero-Baka's stunt was supposed to teach the boy to do just that then why does it seem like the boy's situation hasn't noticeably improved?!

P.S. You're probably wondering why I am doing two Naruto/Avatar crossovers at the same time, and the simple answer is I'm not. One of these will stay; the other will be deleted. I just want to see the reception for each, and which I feel most comfortable with is all.


	2. A little Tit for Tat

Chapter 2.) A little Tit for Tat

D/C: Let me put it in simple English. Me no own Avatar, and me don't own Naruto. Can't get simpler than that.

Perhaps he had been a little too clever for his own good the Nine Tails reflected within the confines of the unconscious boy's mind. It had seemed simple and reasonable enough; a fair trade in the Fox's gimlet red eyes. Free reign over his untamable power for the bittersweet promise of elusive liberty.

Of course, no deal with the devil was without its strings, but in all frankness it wasn't as if the demon lord had lied. It was just one of a hundred minor details that continued to vex the minds of all mortal men. For all their tales of deceit and trickery, demons and spirits and immortals alike were uniquely bound to their words. None of them could lie, much as a select number of their kind had wanted to. Hence their maligned reputation for spinning tales of half truths and misdirection.

Regardless, immortals were forbidden to tell an outright lie, and the Kyuubi was no different; the truth of the matter was that the brat could and would eventually master the Fox's strength and make it his own. Given the Fourth's seal and time, of course; short of the Beast King's help, there was no way a twelve year old could readily absorb even a single tail of his vile chakra...Which was starting to look _real _regrettable right now, considering the massive influx of power the Nine Tails had already used at present. His container's body couldn't possibly handle another explosive burst like that, and that was certainly what the kit was going to need since it seemed he was due for another monstrous 500 foot fall.

All those rocks sticking up from the foot of the waterfall were looking mighty big under the unconscious brat's wide blood flecked eyes.

"...Shit! I think we can both agree that this is not where we want to be," The Nine Tails grumbled as he desperately began throwing his considerable heft against the unyielding doors of his cage. "Curses! Damn you, Yondaime, thwart me in life and thwart me in death, now, will you?!"

Had he been anyone else the Fox would have laughed at the absurdity of his situation. Here the great Kyuubi No Kitsune was, doing his damnedest to save the blond baka (but more importantly, himself!) from meeting a most excruciating end, and the one thing preventing him from achieving this noble goal was the _other_ blond baka's infuriating little seal that was _supposed_ to protect _his_ kid from the Bijuu's influence! He took comfort knowing that should they die he could always use that knowledge to wipe the smile off that 'grinning idjit's' face.

Yes, vengeance was sure to be sweet! But that was only the worst case scenario, and destiny or not he was determined to defy the fates to the bitter end. Even if it meant rescuing that headstrong little kit...

But at any rate he had to digress. While it was true that time flowed differently within the seal, it did not mean that the demon lord himself was at all detached from the outside world as his jailer might have thought. He had only a scant few minutes to plot things out and improvise where he could. Realistically, though, what options did he have? It wasn't like he hadn't already tried to claw his way through the Death God's seal, and he didn't have any sway over the boy's body and mind, not without his permission and most definitely not unconscious as he was. An array of unsettling thoughts and wild ideas spun round and round like a top in the immortal's head as he paced in his cage, his chakra pulsing in agitated waves all around him.

Kyuubi was all but blind to the effect his rampant emotions were having over the steadily intensifying surges of power until an unexpected voice hailed from across the other side of his cage.

"Up to your old tricks, eh, Kyuubi?"

Narrowed slits of anxious red eyes shot wide open as the Nine Tails abruptly froze in the midst of its tracks.

"YOU!" A booming crash filled the cavernous chamber as a pair of massive claws slammed against the bars of his cage. "How in the nine hells did you-?!"

"Ooh, temper, temper, Fox," Scolded the tall form of a laid back man decked handsomely in flowing white robes. "As I happen to recall, it's what got you stuck in this mess almost twelve years ago."

Low angry growls strengthened into a full blown chorus of rough dissonant laughs.

"How cute. Guess what you mortals say is true. The apple certainly doesn't fall very far from the tree. Well I suppose I should have expected that from you and your son. Bet you think it's funny to remind me about the past. All right, go ahead. Smile, you smug son of a bitch! 'Cause you know what? I'm going to enjoy knocking that look right off your face!"

"Is that a fact?" The ethereal form of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, asked. "And how do you intend to do that? From what I can tell, you're nowhere close to unraveling my seal, and you will go no further now that I'm here. You must've been calling forth several tails worth of chakra to summon me out here like this." The Yondaime frowned. "What were you hoping to achieve?"

"Well, it's funny you should ask," The Fox offhandedly replied, riveting the man on the spot. "I was just trying to figure out how to save the life of your son."

Minato's laughing blue eyes instantly hardened into diamond glints.

"Before you start pointing fingers around like all you silly monkeys have the bad tendency of doing, I'd like to make this very clear."

Kyuubi sat squarely upon his haunches and cleared his throat as if he were about to make a speech.

"Listen carefully," He coughed importantly. "It. Wasn't. Me!"

"What makes you think I should take you for your word?" The skeptical man said.

"Don't be ridiculous," The great demon lord laughed. "You might have been the greatest seal master whom I've had the displeasure of meeting, but I know you didn't just pull the Shikifuuin out of your ass. No, you should have been fairly knowledgeable to have even considered attempting that particular feat, and if you really did your research you ought to know quite a few things about us."

"...Rumors have it that none of you can lie," The Yellow Flash begrudgingly said. His glare started to lessen, and then abruptly returned in full force. "But you can still-"

"I wasn't the nimrod with the bright idea to throw a twelve year old off a cliff," The bijuu snidely said.

Finding little to no fault in that statement, the seal master closed his mouth and sighed.

"Just how did this happen...?"

"Short version? Kit's teacher gets impatient and decides it's high time to teach the boy an extreme lesson in freestyle bungee jumping to draw on the power of myself. First he works the kid to the bone, sends him off a 500 foot gorge without so much as a rope, then sits on his ass, hoping for the best, waiting to see what happens. Needless to say, kit hits rock bottom, gets conked out in the drink, and now we're about to embark on 'the next great adventure' as we coast off the edge of a waterfall!"

"...Um, er, you're exaggerating, right?" The Yondaime asked, horrified and uncertain.

"Exaggerating? Heh, heh, you wish," The impenitent fox snickered muffling his words with his tail. "Anyway, I went and patched the kit up after the first fall, but unfortunately for us all his body isn't going to take for the second. Did I forget to mention it's another 500 foot drop?"

The Fourth Hokage's normally boyish expression looked pained as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I knew things could get rough with you sealed in my son, but I really didn't expect things to get so messed up," Muttered the irate blond. "Who's the unlucky son of a bitch who I'm going to...," And then the full impact of the fox's words hit him. "Hold just a damn minute, what exactly do you mean Naruto won't be able take any more of your chakra?!"

"Just like it sounds, you hairless ape! Your stupid seal works much too slow!" The Nine Tails sneered. "He's already had an enormous transfer of my chakra flowing in his veins, so even if I tried to force feed him more at this point, his body's just not ready to take it! As things stand I couldn't heal a measly little paper cut, let alone knit ruptured organs from a five hundred foot fall!"

"Stop it. I know what you're doing. You know why I specifically designed that seal to prevent my son from acclimating an excess amount of your chakra."

"And what a disservice it's doing to him now. Take a look outside if you will. Gain a little perspective from your boy's eyes. He won't last without my help. You know I can save him. It is not beyond my power to do so..."

"..."

Like one of his most famous namesakes, the man disappeared in a brilliant flash, and reappeared seconds later with tensed fists and a very grim expression.

"You see I speak the truth. Now my only question is what will you do? Your seal is all that's stopping me from rescuing the kit-"

Minato's shoulders bristled then.

"Come hell or high water you damn fox, I'm not breaking the seal-"

"Good, then we're not going to have any problems, 'cause I wasn't going to ask you to," Announced the Kyuubi striking the Fourth speechless with disbelief. Seeing the man's jaw come unhinged prompted the demon lord to throw his head back and laugh. "Don't look so surprised, the brat amuses me too much to risk his well being."

The Yondaime scratched his sunlit blond head, baffled and stumped.

"Well if that's the case, what's the deal then? I'm afraid you've just left me out in the dark..."

"Oh, it's simple enough," The fox leaned back on his tails. "I still don't know why you're here, but you know what? Screw it, I'm glad. You're a seal master, and I can't help the boy because of the seal. Just think for a second; if you're not going to break it, what else can you do with it, eh?"

Despite his attempts to conceal it the Yellow Flash blanched.

"...Quite honestly, as a Fuuinjutsu specialist, I don't know how altering the seal is going to make breaking it look any better..."

"Just give me enough leeway to speed up the absorption process a little...And maybe allow the boy a bit more legroom to work with my chakra. Think of it as a little tit for tat. You help me, and I'll watch your son's back. Whichever way you choose to see it, we both win in the end."

"Like I've said, you know why I can't settle for such a deal with a devil like you. It's too risky to allow you even a little influence..."

Kyuubi lowered his head to the seal master's level until they were literally seeing eye to eye.

"I can promise you that even if that happens I'm not going to take over his mind. Nor do I have any intention to wrest control of him in body or spirit. Konoha, and the people of the Shinobi Nations for that matter, will have nothing to fear from me so long as they don't heap hostilities upon us. You know our customs, human, and you know that as much as we cannot lie we immortals cannot break our word. I am willing to swear all this and more within reason if that's what it takes for you to help us."

"..."

Minato's stare was long and implacable. They were not the eyes of the good natured goof whom his friends had grown to love, but the steadfast genius of a man, a brave warrior and campaigner, whom his enemies regarded with nothing but respect. After what seemed an age he spoke.

"You are as good as your word...?"

"Once spoken my promises cannot be undone," The Nine Tails honestly said.

The Yondaime held his demonic gaze several moments longer, and then something like relief passed over the man's gentle face.

"...Repeat everything that you've told me just now, and swear on it. And swear that you'll do everything in your power to keep my son and everyone he loves safe..."

"A hard bargain you strike," Came the bijuu's pleased growl, "Nonetheless, your terms are acceptable."

Without a further moment's hesitation the immortal recited his oath, and as he did so carved a jagged black 'X' over the place where his mortal ilk kept their hearts. With the deed done the Fourth started flashing through a fast paced series of complicated seals.

"Before you return to the reality of the outside world answer me this. Who is the joker responsible for my son's current state of affairs?"

Dozens upon dozens of razor sharp fangs glinted behind the generous arc of a wide vindictive smile.

"Guess I never did get around to that, did I? You remember when I drew parallels between you and your son? Looks like it extends to your teachers, too."

"You must be - Jiraiya did this?!?" Shouted the blond, nearly upsetting the blinding sequence of signs.

"'Fraid so," The fox lazily agreed. "And if you still doubt my word after all the things you've researched about me you can always grill his ass once he lands himself in the great beyond. Want to make a bet I'm telling the truth? If you win you can do whatever; and if I win I'll only ask to start with five tails..."

"Uh, no. No; nooo. I think I'll pass, thank you very much," The Yellow Flash said, looking like he wanted to do nothing more than to hold his head.

"Eh, it was worth a try. At any rate how you turned out so well with his half baked idea of tutelage is simply beyond me. Guess the old windbag must be losing it at his age, or maybe he's just too interested peeping on all the pretty young ladies to really devote his time to training your son..."

"Is that so...?" The Yellow Flash calmly asked, wondering how his teacher was going to explain this without him making the old man shorter by somewhere in the vicinity of a head.

"Oh yes, and on a related note you might want to clarify with your last remaining student what it really means to be trash," The demon lord added with equal parts distaste and scorn. "What a piece of work! Kakashi is your son's designated sensei, and despite his high and mighty attitude about teamwork he sees fit to play favorites and leaves your boy untrained in the dust! Always claiming to be too busy to teach him anything, even though all he's doing is reading your teacher's ridiculous smut. Honestly, it's like your 'friends' could care less what happens to the last remnant of your legacy. Do they really know he's your son? If so, you'd think they'd show a little more concern than me. Well, when you see those two losers in the afterlife, have fun watching them squirm as they try to lie through their teeth. Bring your wife along and stand back as the fireworks fly."

Minato offered no immediate response as his fingers locked together to form the final hand sign in the chain. Power that the fox had only felt once before instantly radiated into the room, permeating the crimson haze of darkness with a sudden strobe of pulsing blue light. It flowed in all directions, whirling like a tiny maelstrom around the blond's kneeling form, twisting and turning as the ambient chakra corkscrewed gradually into the seal. A harsh crackle rose through out the chamber as the kanji on the small note glowed. There was a tiny anticlimactic pop as something clicked and then all the shifting shadows in the room simply stilled.

'_Next time I see them, I'll keep that in mind_,' The Nine Tails heard the distant echo of the man's voice say. '_Farewell Kyuubi. Remember your promise, and look after my son. Oh, and fair warning, fox_,' Continued the man with a pleasant hint of sly humor, '_Watch your step_.'

The Kyuubi had barely a moment to figure out the meaning of the seal master's words when the hazy red and black walls imprisoning him seemed to distort and fade, bit by bit, as if the world itself were falling apart at the seams. Instead of the vast expanse of inky blackness that he was expecting blinding rays of light began to flood the gradually dissipating room. All of sudden he felt weightless and intangible, an oddly enthralling experience the immortal could honestly admit he had never felt before.

When the blinding light receded from his vision the immortal and his insensible host were tumbling end over end in real time once again. Unlike before, however, he sensed the tangible difference. The Fourth's seal had successfully been altered; for the first time in his ageless existence he could taste the salty tang of sweat on the youth's lips; smell the refreshing scent of water droplets suspended in the air; and feel the invigorating rush of the howling winds whipping against his face. He was so caught up with the exhilaration of joy that he almost forgot about the rocks at the bottom of the falls. Almost. New fangled sensation or not, that was most definitely one experience that he could do without!

'_**Prospects of getting hurt aside this is great! Can't wait to see the look on the kit's face once he comes to and realizes what's up**_,' The bijuu cackled, rubbing imaginary paws together in anticipation of things to come. '_**Wonder what else has changed? No time like the present to find out...**_'

Knowing exactly what to do but uncertain of the new limitations with which he had to use it, the fox sought hastily into his freed up reserves, expecting just a trickle to flow at his decisive command.

Flow it did not; but burst it did! The seal on Naruto's belly flared as two tails of the demon lord's chakra exploded forth like an inferno of blazing wings, fluttering protectively around the fallen boy and shielding his form entirely in a cocoon of swirling flames. He didn't even feel the expected jolt as the fiery conflagration hurtled solidly against the outcropping of stones, leaving a massive impact crater in its wake while it schooned off the powerful currents carrying them aloft downstream.

"_**And here I thought things just couldn't get any better. Looks like I owe you thanks, Minato. Two tails worth**_," He whispered in awed disbelief, too stunned by this development to notice the black spots creeping across his vision. What did draw his attention, however, was the feeling of heaviness like lead curtains being pulled over his host's eyes. Kyuubi had enough wherewithal to understand what was happening as the scorching mantle surrounding his host flickered and dispersed in the stream. Instead of cursing the ancestors of the Namikaze or the heavens above he contented himself to drift off with a lopsided smile. "_**Guess I spoke too soon. Damn, Shukaku was right. My luck is shit**_..."

So it also was for a certain Legendary Pervert, but that's a story for another time...

The King of all Bijuu was still grinning from ear to ear as he too joined his slumbering host in the endless world of dreams. Fitfully asleep, neither were aware of being swept through countless side streams and winding water ways, drifting through inlets and roller coasting rivers culminating out to the sea. There their troubles would begin; and there, unexpectedly, their destiny awaited them.

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A/N: You guys might be expecting a little too much of me to have me try to write _**three**_ stories all at once, but I'll try my best to juggle them in turn. I make no promises, but it seems neither "Where it all Begins Again" or "Missing in Action" will disappear after all. Despite what I put up as the pairings, that is not a solid indicator of what is to come. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Not saying; but maybe it'll be more clear in the next chapter of either story, whichever I finish first. Just so you know, Naruto is NOT going to start at the same points or locations in either story, but their might be similarities concerning the backdrop of things. Know that I think of it, I highly doubt his abilities will turn out the same. The basics, of course, won't change but as for everything else it's all up in the wind. As for what visible changes have befallen Naruto, you'll just have to wait and see. Review people, and thank you.

Spoiler for Naruto Manga, if you didn't already read the latest: I don't normally like nitpicking things out off an official story (because damn it to hell, I know how hard that is!) but how the hell did no one in Konoha notice that Danzo had an Shusui Uchiha's arm and an eye?! They've got Hyuuga's all over the place, for fuck's sake - Hyuuga's who could see the difference in chakra flows - and some no name from Kiri (Ao) who just happened to have a stolen Byakugan notices it almost instantly where the 'experts' like Hiashi could not. Don't tell me the old fool had it transplanted just recently, 'cause if he did he had to have had that Uchiha's damned body preserved and in storage the whole time. Least it shows Danzo for what he is; a real snake in the grass...

'


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